Elwha River flows freely past destroyed dam portion

Only 10 days after work began to remove the Elwha River Dam, water from Lake Aldwell has begun flowing over a big bite taken out of the south side.

The south spillway gates have been removed, and the gate floor has been blasted down to bedrock.

Then on Monday afternoon, cofferdams holding the river away from the site where crews and equipment had worked were cut open, and water rushed in to pour over the newly lowered lip.

By dusk Tuesday, water was slowing down over the north spillway. The river was switching sides of the canyon.